Liverpool are set to be without just one player for Saturday lunchtime’s Merseyside derby against Everton in the Premier League at Anfield.
Midfielder Curtis Jones has missed the Reds’ last two games with an unspecified injury and he is not expected to return until the end of this month at the earliest.
Head coach Arne Slot admitted that he was “surprised” by the fitness of record signing Alexander Isak who made his full Liverpool debut in Wednesday’s 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Isak, who played for 58 minutes, is in contention to retain his starting spot, but it remains to be seen whether Slot feels that the Swede is ready to start back-to-back games in the space of just three-and-a-half days, so fellow summer signing Hugo Ekitike could be recalled to lead the line.
Mohamed Salah has experienced a slow start to the new campaign by his high standards, but the Egyptian has scored in successive matches, including a 95th-minute winning penalty in a 1-0 success at Burnley last weekend, and he is all but certain to continue on the right flank.
Cody Gakpo will hope to start again on the left, as Florian Wirtz - yet to score or assist in his last five matches - seeks to retain his spot in an advanced midfield role, while Alexis Mac Allister is fit and will push Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch for a start in midfield.
Captain Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner in midweek and he is expected to be joined at centre-back by Ibrahima Konate, as Jeremie Frimpong remains at right-back, while Andrew Robertson - who also scored against Atletico - may be favoured to continue at left-back ahead of Milos Kerkez.
Liverpool possible starting lineup: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
> Click here to see how Everton could line up for this contest
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